laptop battery q + google email settings q

[SkinnyJoe]

"96% available (plugged in, not charging)" is what I see on the battery meter display. Is there a threshold the battery must reach (?95%) for the charging to automatically start, i.e. to get to the "100% available, fully charged" state?


Noticed in google settings that they say that the https setting is more secure and that it's their default setting. However, when I scrolled down in the settings, I noticed that neither the "always use https" nor "don't always use https" setting was selected. Noticed this for two accounts. Can someone explain this, I am curious. Also, does google have a support number where a live person answers the phone?


Some other laptop stuff that I am curious about. Once I had a blank screen, with an error message about "driver", the screen reppeared shortly, with a message about the driver being recovered. What was that all about?

Also, when there is a delay between audio and video on Skype at times, what causes that?

"Battery 2 not present" in the laptop. Don't understand that one either.

Many a thanks

P.S. "press 5 for customer support....Google does not offer live customer support at this time" That is great.

 

[Sid Post]

"96% available (plugged in, not charging)" is what I see on the battery meter display. Is there a threshold the battery must reach (?95%) for the charging to automatically start, i.e. to get to the "100% available, fully charged" state?

Most laptops charge to 100% anytime they are plugged in. Your battery might have a "memory" and doesn't accept a charge to the 100% voltage level.

Noticed in google settings that they say that the https setting is more secure and that it's their default setting. However, when I scrolled down in the settings, I noticed that neither the "always use https" nor "don't always use https" setting was selected. Noticed this for two accounts. Can someone explain this, I am curious. Also, does google have a support number where a live person answers the phone?

No live support I'm aware of. HTTPS is the "secure" protocol which gives you some privacy across Internet networks for general web surfing. Always use HTTPS for purchases and banking.

Some other laptop stuff that I am curious about. Once I had a blank screen, with an error message about "driver", the screen reppeared shortly, with a message about the driver being recovered. What was that all about?

The software driver might have crashed and then reloaded.

Also, when there is a delay between audio and video on Skype at times, what causes that?

It's related to data transfer latency. Slow networks or slow servers can cause that. Also, high loading on your laptop will cause that behavior. How much stuff do you have running?

"Battery 2 not present" in the laptop. Don't understand that one either.

Your laptop has the capacity for two batteries but, only one is installed.

 

[SkinnyJoe]

Thank you for your response. After I read it, I immediately took it to school, the guy looked at it, tried resetting the battery but that didn't work. Then his supervisor came in, and she figured it out right away. They ordered a new battery. It's an HP EliteBook 8560w, purchase required by the school.

As I never had a laptop before, I figured maybe it was normal, but still I asked here to make sure, since my computer buddies don't know as much as they think they do. Btw, it is charging now, since when I came home it was at 93%. Have I been doing anything wrong? I have always brought the cables to school to make sure it is plugged in while it was in use. Now, at bedtime I power down and shut the power supply as well (power strip). Should I instead power down the computer but keep the power available from the cable? Somebody told me to not keep it plugged in during prolonged periods of rest, but then again I don't want the battery to go up and down, cycling unneccessarily? I received it just last Friday btw.

As far as Skype, my signal is "good" but not "excellent" as I am using the signal from the apartment complex community room (my apartment is close enough to it). I had maybe two IE windows open as well.

HTTPS for purchases and banking, not sure what action I need to take to enable that setting. Don't banks offer security on their websites?

Thanks again.

 

[Sid Post]

Thank you for your response. After I read it, I immediately took it to school, the guy looked at it, tried resetting the battery but that didn't work. Then his supervisor came in, and she figured it out right away. They ordered a new battery. It's an HP EliteBook 8560w, purchase required by the school.

Those are pretty good laptop computers. Sounds like you have a defective battery. Laptop batteries can be a bit troublesome.

As I never had a laptop before, I figured maybe it was normal, but still I asked here to make sure, since my computer buddies don't know as much as they think they do. Btw, it is charging now, since when I came home it was at 93%. Have I been doing anything wrong? I have always brought the cables to school to make sure it is plugged in while it was in use. Now, at bedtime I power down and shut the power supply as well (power strip). Should I instead power down the computer but keep the power available from the cable? Somebody told me to not keep it plugged in during prolonged periods of rest, but then again I don't want the battery to go up and down, cycling unneccessarily? I received it just last Friday btw.

I leave my laptops plugged in all the time and never unplug them. If your battery is at 100% charge, leaving the power strip on and the power cord plugged should not harm your battery, especially if it a Lithium-Ion battery.

As far as Skype, my signal is "good" but not "excellent" as I am using the signal from the apartment complex community room (my apartment is close enough to it). I had maybe two IE windows open as well.

Signal strength to the wireless router/switch isn't the problem generally. It's the response time from the website you are connecting too. With your laptop, I doubt CPU loading is affecting the latency of Skype. CPU loading is typically a problem on older laptops with slow hard drives and insufficient RAM. Since your computer is new, it should have plenty of RAM and a good CPU.

HTTPS for purchases and banking, not sure what action I need to take to enable that setting. Don't banks offer security on their websites?

When you log into a website, you should notice the padlock symbol and the HTTP/HTTPS of the URL change. This change should occur when you enter your password or go to a login screen.

 

[SkinnyJoe]

Again, thank you on very thorough and informative responses.

 

[Cougar Allen]

Somebody told me to not keep it plugged in during prolonged periods of rest

"Prolonged" would be weeks or months.